Remove the fan from my stock heatsink?

[CodeMunkey67]

I have a socket LGA 775 Intel Celeron chip running at 3Gb inside a slim ATX case (a Dell Vostro 200 Slim to be exact). The computer operates as a simple router and typically shows practically no load. Recently, the stock heatsink and fan assembly has begun to make a lot of noise. I wonder if the setup would be better off without the fan on the heatsink, essentially making it passive.Is this a reasonable idea, or does it make more sense to purchase a heatsink that is designed to be passive, and hope that it fits my slim case?

 

[laviniuc]

try it. even if it will overheat the cpu will downclock/stop to prevent damage.

 

[Supahos]

Just buy another stock one off ebay for like $5 or buy a replacement with a fan, those slim cases don't do well with passive cooling typically.

 

[laviniuc]

Just buy another stock one off ebay for like $5 or buy a replacement with a fan, those slim cases don't do well with passive cooling typically.

normally i'd agree but since there's little load on the cpu.. the heatsink alone might be enough.

 

[Supahos]

if it were a good heatsink I'd agree but the fins on the stock intel fans are massive, and it does such a poor job with the fan I can't imagine it doing anything without the fan.

 

[laviniuc]

codemunkey, you could try also undervolting/downclocking it since you dont need it to perform at high speed. same as an overclock only downwards.

 

[CodeMunkey67]

Just buy another stock one off ebay for like $5 or buy a replacement with a fan, those slim cases don't do well with passive cooling typically.

That sounds good to me. I wasn't sure how well such a tight case would fare without an active cooler, and if I really can find a replacement for less than $10, that sounds fine by me.

 

[CodeMunkey67]

try it. even if it will overheat the cpu will downclock/stop to prevent damage.

I can appreciate your adventurous spirit, but risking the router shutting down during peaks or when the A/C in the house fails may not be the best solution. Still, thanks for replying.